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It was during the swell of voices — some 18,000 Americans, all singing the chorus of O Canada — when Jeff Jimerson really started to grasp the significance of the moment.

There, on ice bathed in red light and maple leaves representing the country to the north, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ veteran vocalist led the sold-out crowd through the most poignant version of the Canadian national anthem in team history — and perhaps in Canada’s history too.

“It was a special moment, and as soon as they introduced it, saying our thoughts are with Canada, it felt different — it was more emotional,” said Jimerson.

“Towards the end, when you can really hear all the people singing O Canada, I felt so proud of the Pittsburgh fans for that. It was really cool.”

On a day that shook Canada’s sense of security, hearing O Canada before Wednesday night’s game between the Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers was something this entire country needed, if only to be reassured we weren’t alone in the world.

Canadians have done it for Americans — after 9/11 and the Boston bombing — but to hear our song, sang to us by thousands of people with no reason to join in except compassion and solidarity?

Jimerson says he didn’t even know what had happened in Ottawa, until he checked in with the team to confirm the 8 p.m. start time.

The bass player and professional musician had been locked away in a recording studio all day, working on a Christmas album, and had no contact with the outside world until the Penguins got back to him, saying there was a change of plans.

“They texted back and said there would be some sort of tribute, because of what was happening in Canada,” said Jimerson.

“I didn’t know anything about it, so I sat down and watched what was going on in Ottawa — it was horrible.”

The cold-blooded murder of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo as he stood guard at the national cenotaph on Parliament Hill meant the scheduled game between the Maple Leafs and Senators was cancelled, and few Canadians were in the mood to watch hockey anyway.

But the anthem in Pittsburgh was different, and within minutes of the moving tribute by the Penguins, Canadians were sharing the video with friends and family — the familiar song made more meaningful when sang by an arena full of Americans doing their best to remember the words and show their support.

Jimerson says he was touched at the time, but still had no clue how big a deal the anthem was for the wounded nation up north — perhaps not realizing that if you want to send a message to Canada, hockey is the way to do it.

“It was a moving tribute at the time, but I really had no idea going in that it would have that big of an impact,” said Jimerson.

“I don’t know, but maybe for that minute, or that minute and a half, it helped people realize, it’s going to okay.”

It hit a nerve, and within minutes of the song ending, Jimerson’s inbox started to fill with letters of thanks from Canadians, including some serving in the armed forces.

“I’m amazed at how much feedback there’s been,” said Jimerson. “Some of the emails have been really touching.”

The decision to play O Canada before a game by two American teams was made by the Penguins organization, which has many Canadian connections including part-owner Mario Lemieux and team captain Sidney Crosby.

“It was the team’s decision, and we were trying to figure out what to do,” said Tom McMillan, vice president of Communications.

“We decided to go with the anthem, so people could take part, rather than a moment of silence. People here like to sing.”

For Canada, where even the Prime Minister expressed his thanks for Pittsburgh’s gesture, the message from our neighbours was heard loud and clear.